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Saturday, 7 January 2012

You had me at hello... does your first line grab?

I have written about first lines before (in To Bang or Whisper), mainly as hymn of
praise to Homer’s Iliad and its translators, because – if you didn’t know –
Homer’s Iliad has the BEST FIRST LINE EVER.

Ooer, nice mullet

However, I was recently reading a fairly elderly copy of a
Signet paperback called Rakes and Rogues(notable for the fineness of the mullet which graces the front cover – worth of
a youthful George Clooney). Rakes and Rogues contains five stories
by authors romance superstars Mary Balogh, Mary Jo Putney and perhaps a little
less well known (to me at least), Melinda McRae, Anita Mills and Maura Seger.

Two things struck me:

I’m more drawn to stories which start with the
hero’s POV;

An exciting first line (or first three lines)
makes all the difference as to whether I read on or not.

Moreover, the exciting first line was not a false dawn. The stories I enjoyed the most were the ones
with cracking first lines. Now, I’m
guessing this is because authors that can kick start a story with verve and
élan are those who are most in control of their craft.

But still, it’s a lesson to writers. When you finish your
novel, go back and inspect those crucial first lines one more time. Because whilst many readers might dive off
the deep end, many will just dip their toes in the frigid water of your first
page.... don’t let them run away yawning.

Now, without further ado and just for fun, see if you can
match the author to their first line.
Which line speaks to you? Which
would have you reading on?

"George Farron Chevening
Atwell, the sixth Viscount Belmont, stood upon the top step of his house in
Chelsea, frowning at the green-painted door before him."

"He was going to be hanged
on Tuesday."

"Without a doubt it was the
most stupid thing he had ever done."

"Archer, what a nice
surprise," the older woman exclaimed.

“The line was long until the rain began to pour,
and then most who were there dispersed, grumbling that they’d be back when
there was less danger of a soaking.”

I think they show a certain confidence too. Sentence 1 seems to be desperate to give you all the information you might need upfront in a subtle info dump. Sentence 2 & 3 are confident in their own intrigue...